New CPI(M) committee office in Kannur to house historic ledger

As the new Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] district committee office equipped with state-of-the-art facilities is set to open next month, a historic ledger documenting the party’s struggles in Kannur will also be shifted to the new premises.

The ledger, kept at the party district committee office Azhikodan Samaraka Mandiram, written by comrade Sreenivasan, who became the party office secretary in 1970, stands as a valuable testimony to the party’s legacy. The record meticulously preserves the history of the party’s struggles during an era when communication modes were limited and the leadership could not respond swiftly to major developments.

Mr. Sreenivasan, a resident of Parassinikadavu, said that the ledger played a crucial role in recording every detail and event reported to the office at a time when messages were conveyed either personally or through telephones. “All information was carefully documented in the book. It served as the primary source of information for the party leaders and now remains a rich historical record,” he added.

Among the many accounts in the ledger are the 1976 protest, police brutality, Koothuparamba firing, and other major events in the district, Mr. Sreenivasan said. The ledger also documents how the Azhikodan family relief fund was raised after the assassination of Azhikodan Raghavan on September 23, 1972.

An ITI graduate who left a government job to dedicate his life to party work, Mr. Sreenivasan chronicled the party’s journey through changing times. His tenure as office secretary began when M.V. Raghavan served as the party district secretary, followed by the leadership of Patayam Gopalan, Chadayan Govindan, Pinarayi Vijayan, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, T. Govindan, E.P. Jayarajan, P. Sasi, M.V. Jayarajan, and up to the present with K.K. Ragesh.

“The building may change, but the history and sacrifices recorded in the ledger are eternal,” said Mr. Sreenivasan, now aged 80.